One More Chance
by wensleydale
Summary: 1000 years ago the nine tailed fox was cursed. For centuries the Uchiha family has been trying to break it. Sasuke goes looking for her reincarnation to do what his family couldn’t and meets Naruto who might be the key to finally breaking it. AU Yaoi.


One More Chance.

~Dream~

Air rushed over my face as sat down and leaned against a tree to rest. At times like this I would close my eyes and think about my mother. Everything in my life fell apart when she died. I tried to act tough and pretend it didn't affect me but inside I broke down little by little. Everything reminded me of her. The memories of her were the worst, one in particular. A story.

It's not a story I enjoyed very much as a child, I'd always beg and plead for a story about pirates or aliens but all I ever got was the same boring story about a demon fox. I spent my whole life trying to forget that story which had been pretty easy once I got too old for bedtime stories but after she died I started having dreams about it. To be fair it was the same dream repeating over and over again. There was nothing I could do to get rid of the dream. The dream even haunted me during the daytime, I would start to think about it while having an important conversation, or see flashes of it when I dosed off in class. Finally on the last day of class before summer break I made up my mind. I had to find the person in my dream.

I had no idea where they were or even what they looked like. I knew only two things: The first was that I wouldn't find peace until I found that person and the second was that person was the nine tailed demon fox.

So I did the only thing I could. As soon as summer break started I ran away.

At first that day didn't seem different from the rest. I would often find a tree to nap under. Inevitably, I had the dream. It started the same as usual; I'm running in the forest leaping from branch to branch. I'm chasing after someone but they are so far ahead. All I can make out is the shadow of a body with nine tails leaping effortlessly in the trees. The chase seems to go on for hours until finally I manage to catch up. I reach out to grab them but as soon as I do they slip. I try to catch them but I'm too slow, I tried to make out the features of their face but all I can see are bright blue eyes, and then before they completely faded into the darkness I see their body being pierced by a dozen arrows, and then after everything is black I hear the sound of bones crunching against the ground.

Usually at this point I would wake up but that day was different because I also had a memory. I was tucked into bed hoping today I would get to hear a regular bedtime story but instead I heard the words I dreaded hearing every night. _"Listen carefully Sasuke because I'm going to tell you a story that has been passed down from parent to child for centuries, the story of the human fox." _

"_I'm tired of this story, can't you tell me another one?" _

"_Nope, because I am your mother and I get to tell you any story I want"_ she said as she smiled and rubbed the top of my head affectionately.

"_Itachi never had to listen to this stupid story."_ I grumbled.

"_Itachi is the first born which means he belongs to your father but you are the youngest so you belong to me." _

"_That doesn't make any sense at all." _

"_It doesn't have to make sense. Now do you want to hear the story or do you want me to leave so you can fall asleep." _

I thought about it for a second before I decided it was worth it to listen to the story because it meant that I got to stay up later. _"You can stay."_

"_Thank you."_ She said as she perched on my bed and adjusted the covers around me. _"Nearly one thousand years ago there was a great battle for dominance between demons and mankind. In the end nearly every demon was wiped out and those who remained were constantly in danger. A fox demon, who was the last of her kind, wanted to live peacefully so she transformed herself into a human but her transformation was incomplete, she hadn't been able to get rid of her nine tails." _

"_What an idiot." _

"_Be nice Sasuke, you've never had to transform into another species so you don't know how difficult it can be. Should I continue?_

"_Yes."_

" _She hid her tails under layers of robes and lived her life as a normal human. She almost forgot she was actually a fox until a group of soldiers kidnapped her and locked her in a castle hidden in the forest. She was constantly being guarded but after awhile she didn't even notice because had she gotten used to her life of imprisonment. Then one day a new guard came to watch over her. He was an experienced soldier who was well trusted by the warlord of the area. Even though it may seem boring work for a soldier the fox was the warlords greatest asset so being put in charge of it's protection was considered a great honor. He walked into her chambers and lifted the screen that kept her hidden from the outside world. What he saw shocked him, it was a pair of clear blue eyes. You have to understand that this was before TV, before foreigners had even landed in Japan, so most people didn't know blue eyes existed, but there before him sat a woman with the most shockingly blue eyes. They stared at each other frozen for a long time." _

"_And they instantly fell in love, can't we just skip past this part and get to the sword fighting?"_

"_But they didn't fall in love yet Sasuke, that comes later. You can't truly fall in love with somebody by just looking into their eyes."_

"_Then what happened?_" I yawned.

"_How about I continue the story tomorrow, it's not like you haven't heard it before_."

"_But every time you tell it I learn something new."_

"_I thought you were bored with this stupid story._" She said as she leaned down to kiss my forehead.

"_Not yet._" I said as I closed my eyes and the light next to my bed was clicked off.

As my younger self fell asleep in the dream I woke up staring into clear blue eyes.

As things got less fuzzy I could start to make out a face, then a head of blond hair. The mysterious person pulled away from my face and smiled.

"Good you're not dead. I was worried you might be dead."

"Yeah I'm glad I'm not dead either but why the hell were you leaning so close to my face?"

"I was checking to make sure you were still breathing, congratulations you pass!"

"Couldn't you have just checked my pulse or something?"

"I don't know how to check for a pulse." I couldn't have known yet but I think I was already beginning to speculate that he was an idiot. "Do you want a drink? You look thirsty."

After days of traveling I wasn't above accepting charity. "Sure why not?" He reached into his bag and handed me a carton of milk. "Seriously?" I hadn't meant it to sound rude but milk seemed a little juvenile.

"It's my favorite." He said as he bent the carton open.

I looked down at it suspiciously before taking swig. When I felt chunks run down my throat I nearly gagged. After suppressing my gag reflex I looked down at the carton. The milk had expired two weeks earlier. "Are you fucking with me?" I said as I poured the milk out onto the ground.

"What?" he asked as he took a sip from his own carton.

"Don't drink that!" I said as I took the carton away from him.

"Why not! What's wrong with it?" He asked as he tried to grab back from me. Before he could take it back I poured out onto the ground. He stared at me in disbelief. "Oh no, you didn't… why would you do that!" He yelled.

"It's expired! If you drank it you would have gotten sick!" I yelled back.

"It was fine!"

"It had chunks in it!" I said as I tossed the empty carton away.

"I don't care! I can look after myself!" He replied.

"Fine." I stood up and walked away. I had no idea what direction I was going but I figured any direction was better then staying around that idiot. Unfortunately he followed me. At first I thought it was just a coincidence but every sharp turn I made he followed staying only a step behind me. Finally to test my theory I stopped. Instead of stopping he crashed into my back. I turned around to address him, "Why are you following me? What do you want?"

"Uh, do you want to climb trees with me dattebayo?" He asked as he nervously scratched his cheek.

"Why don't you ask one of your friends to climb trees with you I don't have time for you. "

"But aren't we friends?" He asked as he motioned back and forth between us.

"We're not friends."

"But I gave you milk…"

"It doesn't matter! I've known you for less than 10 minutes. I don't even know your name."

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. What's your name?"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha, but don't just assume that knowing my name makes us friends."

"Ok Sasuke Uchiha." He said as though he were fascinated with my name. "Do you want play with me dattebayo?"

"What are you like six?"

"I'm 17 Sasuke Uchiha." He replied. I was surprised. Some how he seemed a lot younger but he was only year younger than me.

"I don't have time for this. I have to work."

"What do you do Sasuke Uchiha?"

"Stop saying my full name idiot. Just call me Sasuke."

"Ok Sasuke. What do you do Sasuke?"

I sighed. This guy was hopeless but luckily he was going to be out of my hair in a few minutes. Or so I thought. "I busk."

"Bust?"

"Busk." I corrected him. "I'm a busker. I play music for money."

"What do you play Sasuke?"

"Stop saying my name all the time dobe. If you must know I play the guitaaa… " Just then I noticed the familiar weight on my back was missing. "Where is it? Where the fuck is it."

"Where is what?"

"My guitar. Fuck! I need it! Where'd it go?" I pushed passed him and ran in the direction of the tree I had been sleeping under.

"Where are you going dattebayo!?" He yelled before he ran after me.

"Just leave me alone!" I thought my day couldn't get any worse. I lost my guitar and an annoying brat followed me. Then it started to rain. No it didn't just rain, the skies completely opened up. "AAAA FUCK!" I looked behind me to see Naruto getting soaked. "Go home, there's no reason for you to keep following me."

"What?!" he yelled back at me through the pounding rain.

"Go Home!" I yelled back

"I want to help you find you're guitar!"

"Why!

"What!"

"Why Do You Want To Help Me Find It?!" I yelled back as clearly as I could.

He shrugged his shoulders. "It's important to you right?"

"Yes, but I can find it by myself!" If possible the rain started coming down even harder.

"Don't friends help each other?!"

"We're. Not. Friends."

"Why not?" He asked as he stepped toward me and tripped over a root. I thought he'd catch himself before he fell but instead he landed face first in the mud. My instincts told me rush over and help. I thought he was hurt but as I pulled him out of the mud he was laughing. "I'm pretty clumsy huh?" He asked, as he looked straight into my eyes.

I barely knew him but somehow I knew he was different. Being around him was disorienting. He made me feel dizzy and aggravated but at the same time seeing his mud covered face made me laugh for the first time since my mother died.

"Your guitar is in the tree." He said as he pointed behind me up into the branches. "I saw it when I fell."

My eyes widened and I looked to where he was pointing. Sure enough hanging in the branches of the tree was my guitar. Suddenly I remembered putting it up there before settling down for a nap.

"Look what I also found!" He said as he held up the milk carton I had tossed away earlier.

"Dobe." I muttered as I extended a hand to help him up.

"I don't want you to get mud on your guitar." He said as he held up his and to show me how muddy it was.

I grabbed it despite his warning "It'll only get on the case." After he was up on his feet again I pulled my guitar down from the tree and started to walk away.

"Where are you going!?" He yelled after me.

"I don't know." it was an honest answer.

I heard him run to catch up with me. "Do you want to climb trees with me?" he asked me as he walked just one step behind me.

I stopped and turned to face him but was careful to hold out my arms so he didn't crash into me. "You're certainly determined aren't you?" He just looked at me earnestly with his blue eyes that the rain seemed to make even brighter. "It's not exactly ideal weather for climbing trees is it?"

"Then lets go to my house and eat instant ramen!" he quickly suggested.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to invite a stranger to your house?"

"You're not a stranger, you're Sasuke." I was about to say something but then my stomach growled against my will. "It'll give you a chance to get out of the rain." He added.

I sighed, "Sure, I'll go."

"Really?"

"Yes really, but only because I know instant ramen never expires" He smiled at me. "This doesn't make us friends." I added.

He just smiled back at me knowingly. "Ok."

That was how I got lured into the home of an almost complete stranger, the promise of precooked noodles.

The noodles actually weren't all that bad but it was awkward to eat with his bright blue eyes staring at me from across the table. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing." He replied

I tried to eat normally but the more he stared at me the harder it became to get the noodles in my mouth. "Stop staring at me it's creepy."

"Sorry I'm not used to eating with other people."

"Clearly." I muttered. He just continued to sit there and stare at me. "Don't you have anything to do with yourself with instead of just sitting there? You're still in high school right? Shouldn't you be studying for exams or something?"

"Nah I don't like studying." Reluctantly he turned away and rummaged through his bag. He pulled out what looked to be a math workbook.

"Summer homework?" I asked.

"It's for the remedial class I have to take. " I smirked. This guy really was an idiot. He caught on to the look I was giving him. "I'm just not book smart ok?"

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to." He frowned as he looked down at the book. "Hey Sasuke, do you know anything about quadratic functions?"

He was only a year younger than me and he was still doing quadratic functions. There was no way I going to get caught up in his twisted little world of expired milk and retarded high school math. "I should get going."

"Where are you going? It's still raining out."

"I need to find somewhere to stay for the night."

"Stay here!"

Usually I slept outside or in shrines. This was the first time since left Tokyo I had the chance to stay in a proper house with running water "Naruto, you can't just tell me I can stay here. I'm a stranger."

"You're not s stranger you're…"

"I'm Sasuke. I know." I sighed. "Won't your parents mind?"

"Nah, my dad's really laid back. I can ask him when he gets back." There was a loud crash from outside the door followed by the sound of squealing women. "That's him." Naruto said apathetically.

"I'll see you ladies later." Called a voice from the hallway. As soon as the door closed the tone of the voice changed completely. "Hey boy why are tracking mud into the house?" the man who walked into the living room looked like a kung-fu master from a Hong Kong film only taller and more built. He even had a long white ponytail. This man was a beast. Suddenly I caught his eye. "Oh hell no. Get him out of here." That didn't go exactly as planned.

"But dad."

"No buts. Last week it was that weird bird and now this? It's one thing to bring strange animals home it's quite another to bring strange people."

"But Sasuke's my friend."

I was about to correct him but I saw the old man's eyes widen. "Really?" he asked. "Well _Sasuke_ how do you know this idiot?" he motioned to Naruto.

The blonde opened his math book and wrote on the back of one of the pages: "_classmate"_

"I'm his classmate." I responded

"That's funny. I happen to know all of Naruto's classmates and you ain't one of them kid. Besides, you look too smart to be in his class." No argument there. "You think you can fool me. You know what I do to liars?" he pounded his fists together.

I looked at Naruto for help but he was already scribbling away in on his workbook. He held it up for me to read. Before I could think about what I was reading I said it out loud.

"Please don't fall in love with me."[1]

As soon as my mind caught up with my mouth I started to panic. I glared at Naruto as I prepared for the worst.

But the old man started to laugh. "I like you kid. You've got spunk. You can stay here." I felt relief flood through me. "But as for you kid" he said as he turned to Naruto who quickly hid his workbook behind his back. "Why are you still in you're muddy clothes? What did I raise an idiot? Go take a bath."

"Can I…"

"Bath! Go!"

Defeated, Naruto threw his book onto the table and exited the room muttering under his breath.

"So does he do this a lot?" I asked

"What?"

"Bring people home with him?"

"Nope. You're the first. Sure he'll bring home rodents and birds but you're the first human guest we've ever had at our house."

"No school friends or girlfriends?"

"Hah! Don't make me laugh. If you are really Naruto's friend you're his first. I don't know why but he has just always had trouble making friends. I think it might have something to do with his bratty attitude. I'm sure you've heard him say it right? Dattebayo. He used to say it to get attention but now it's more of a nervous habit. I have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"Will you look after him for me?

"I'm not a babysitter."

"Be careful with that attitude kid. It'll get you in trouble."

I didn't come out to the middle of know where to get lectured by someone else's dad. "Whatever."

"You don't gotta do much. Just walk him to school and back. Also it's be great if you kept him from bringing home any animals."

"Has he ever brought home a fox?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so." I tried not to let my disappointment show. "Listen, Naruto may not be the greatest mind of his generation but he's a sweet kid. Take care of him and keep him out of trouble, all right? Oh and one more thing."

How much did this guy expect of me?

"Can you try to get him to stop saying dattebayo. I think he's out grown it."

"Agreed." I nodded thinking of his annoying expression. "I'll do my best on that front."

"Excellent." He smiled. "So what about you?"

"What about me?" I raised my eyebrows.

"You a runaway or something?"

"Something like that."

"Where you from?"

"Tokyo."

"Of course. I bet you go to some fancy school there don't you?" He asked as he leaned onto the table

"Todai."

"Of course." I heard him mutter. "Did the stress finally get to you?"

"No, I'm looking for someone." I didn't want to elaborate more. Even I thought it was ridiculous I was looking for a demon fox.

He smirked at me, "Oh really? Who knows maybe you'll find them here them here in Konoha."

"Doubtful."

"I'm really starting to get sick of that attitude kid! I know this town doesn't seem like much of anything but it just might surprise you." We stared each other down for a few seconds. "I see you got a guitar there. Do you play?"

"No I just carry around a guitar for the hell of it."

"Well then come on wise ass. Play something."

"What should I play?"

"What do you normally play?"

"Songs I know."

"No shit Sherlock. Play one of them."

Nervously I undid the clasps on the case and took out the guitar. Luckily the case had kept it dry. I check the strings and did some tuning before playing the chords to the first song that came to my mind.

I don't know why_ that_ song suddenly came to me. It was one of my mom's favorites. She listened to it almost every morning. When I can down in the morning I would watch her in the kitchen preparing my obento and singing along with the song.

kieru hikoukigumo bokutachi wa miokutta

mabushikute nigeta itsudatte yowakute

ano hi kara kawarazu

itsumademo kawarazu ni irarenakatta koto

kuyashikute yubi wo hanasu [2]

I wanted to continue playing, I wanted to continue remembering her, but my fingers wouldn't move.

"I think I remember that song. It was popular quite a few years back. Maybe you should play songs that are popular now."

"I liked it." Said a voice from across the room. I looked up to see Naruto standing there with wet hair. "But it was sad. Can you play something happy like SMAP?"

"I think I'm done playing for the night."

"Come on Sasuke."

"Leave him alone Naruto."

"But"

"Don't you got homework to do or something kid?"

Naruto frowned. "Yeah but it's quadratic functions and I don't know anything about quadratic functions."

"Well you're in luck. Sasuke happens to be a student at Tokyo U. He'll be more then happy to help you. Won't you Sasuke?" The old man said as he clutched my shoulder a little too tightly.

"Yeah, sure." I said through gritted teeth.

"Good." He replied with a smile. "I'm going to go out drinking. Sasuke will be staying in you're room so make sure to be a good host and help him set up the futon alright?

"OK!" Naruto answer excitedly.

"Good luck!" he said through a smug grin before he turned and left the room.

"Is he always like that?"

"Who, Jiraiya?" So the old man had a name. I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Let me take a look at you're workbook." I said as I grabbed for it but Naruto pulled it away. "If I'm going to help you I have to look at the problems." Nervously he held out the book for me and before he could pull it away again I snatched it. I started flipping through the pages to see where to start but as soon as I opened the book I frowned. There was not a single problem in this book that had been solved. Instead of math the pages were covered in doodles. I saw an eraser on the table and before he caught on to my plan I grabbed it and started cleaning the pages.

"What are you doing!?" He said as he tried to grab my arm but I shook him off. "I worked hard on those drawings!"

"I don't care! If you want to draw buy a sketch book the only thing that should be in a math book is math!" I picked up the book and shook out all the eraser dust. "There!" I said triumphantly. " Now we can start."

Naruto looked like he was about to cry. I ignored him.

"So the first thing to you need to do is find a common factor. In this case the variable X …"

"Sasuke," Naruto interrupted "what is a variable?" I looked at him in complete shock but he just stared back at me innocently. I leaned forward and started to bang my head against the table repeatedly. "Uuuh Sasuke?"

I picked my head up and turned to look at him. "Could you go make some more instant ramen? This is going to be a long night."

After three hours of trying to explain basic algebra I finally gave up and did the problems myself.

Naruto frowned as he copied the answers into the book. "Why didn't you just write them in here in the first place?"

"It has to be in your hand writing. Haven't you ever copied someone else's homework before?" He started to chew on the end of his pencil nervously. Could it be possible that Naruto had never had a friend before?

"Maybe I'm just a good student dattebayo!" I couldn't help but to laugh.

"Right." I said before I smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! What'd you do that for teme?" he said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Because you were being an idiot and because your dad wants you to stop saying that bratty word."

"I see how it is. So you're against me now?"

"This is in your best interest trust me." I sighed and leaned back. "Are you almost done?"

"I'll just finish the rest in the morning." He said as he closed the book and headed toward the closet. I saw him start to pull out a futon so I got up to help him.

"Let me get that." I tried to pull it out but the damned thing was heavy.

"Don't worry about it. You're my guest" Naruto said as he pull out the futon with a surprising amount of ease. He was stronger than he looked. For the sake of my pride a grabbed a corner and helped him pull the futon down the hallway into his room. Once I dropped the futon I was out of breath.

"I'm going to take a bath alright?" I said as wiped the sweat from my forehead.

"Sure thing. Bath is down the hall."

It was refreshing to take a bath but my feeling of complete calm bliss was brief. As soon as I reentered Naruto's room I saw him tucked into my futon.

"What are you doing?" I asked

"Can I sleep with you?" I tried to stop my eye from twitching.

"Not a chance."

"Come on!"

"No way. Get out and sleep in your own bed."

"Fine." He muttered as he rolled out. Not wanting any further discussion I turned off the lights. That was a mistake. "AAAH! Give me warning before you turn off the light! Now I'm seeing spots." I turned back on the lights. "AAH that's even worse teme!"

"Are you ready now?"

"No. I want to ask you something."

"What is it dobe? Get it over with so we can get to sleep."

"What was the name of that song you were playing earlier?"

"Tori no Uta." I answered

"The poem of the bird." [3]

"The _song_ of the bird you idiot."

"I guess that makes more sense. How did you learn how to play it?"

"Practice." I figured if he was going to keep me awake I had the right to be a smart ass.

"Why that song?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "My mom liked it. I learned it so I could play it for her."

"I bet she is pretty."

"She _was_ pretty. She's dead now." I flipped off the lights with no warning but surprisingly Naruto didn't protest this time.

"I'm sorry." I heard him whisper through the dark.

"Don't be sorry, there was no way you could have known." I suddenly felt a pang of guilt for taking my anger out on such an innocent person.

"You're lucky." That was a new one. "I never had a mother growing up. It must have been nice.

I crawled under the blankets of the futon and let out a sigh. "I guess it was." Naruto started talking again as I drifted off to sleep.

The same dream. The forest, the fox, the fall. All of it had become too familiar to me.

Then my mother's story continued.

_Over the next few weeks the soldier would go to visit her but he never spoke. He would just go and stare at her silhouette. He knew it was a dangerous habit but his curiosity overpowered his common sense. Finally one day as he sat staring at her screen he heard a voice. _

"_It's not polite to stare you know." The voice said from behind the screen. "You come here almost every day and all you do is stare. You could at least say something." _

"_I'm sorry demon fox," he said in his most condescending voice. "I have no intention of exchanging pleasantries with you."_

_She lifted the screen and glared at him. "I have a name you know." her piercing blue eyes made him feel weak. _

"_What is it?" he asked._

"_Excuse me?" she replied._

"_What is your name demon?"_

_She sat there frozen staring at him. She couldn't remember her own name. It had been so long since she had spoken to anyone and no one had ever asked for her name before. In order to save face she told him the first name that came to mind. "Kyuubi. My name is Kyuubi."_

"_What an unusual name."_

"_Got a problem with it?" she asked indignantly._

"_No. It suits you." He replied._

"_What's that supposed to mean?" _

"_Nothing." He defended. "It's a very pretty name." he watched as her cheeks turned pink. _

"_Does that mean you think I'm pretty?" she asked. _

_He stared at her and before he could stop himself forbidden words escaped his lips. "You're beautiful." He cursed himself for saying it out loud, for even admitting it to himself. She was a demon! "I'm sorry. I've said something I shouldn't. I'll be going now." _

_He got up to leave but as soon as he did he felt a hand grab his wrist. Her hands were sinfully soft. "Will you come back tomorrow?" she asked. _

_He looked down at her flushed face and he found he couldn't refuse. "Yes" he said uncertainly only to see her blue eyes look away with disappointed, as though she could tell he was hesitating. " I said yes I will Yes." [4]_

"_And then they fall in love." _ I interrupted.

"_Not yet Sasuke." _

"_But he just said she was beautiful!" _

My mother laughed and patted my head affectionately. _"That's called attraction. Sometimes there is an undeniable almost magnetic force between people that brings them together but love is deeper than that. Love takes time. _

"_I'm confused."_

"_Don't worry it will all make sense one day. I can tell you're tired. How about we leave the rest of the story for some other night?" _she asked

"_Ok"_

She bent down to kiss my forehead then whispered _"Goodnight"_

"Good morning! Good morning Sasuke! Are you alive?"

I blinked my eyes open and groaned. Naruto was straddling me with his face hovering over mine.

"It's time to get up. Jiraiya said you'd walk me to school."

I made a move to get up and my nose bumped against his. "You're going to have to get off me dobe."

"Oh right!"

"So what time do you need to be at school anyway?" I asked as I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

"In about 5 minutes."

"What?!" I jumped from under the covers and attempted to untangle my hair with my fingers. I pulled on a clean shirt, grabbed my guitar and staggered to the door in sleepy daze. "Come on slowpoke!"

"Hold on a second I still have to put on my tie."

"Just put it on and hurry up!" I yelled down the hallway "I don't even know how long it will take to get to your damn school."

"Don't worry it's pretty close." I saw Naruto walking down the hallway with his tie in knots.

"You call that a tie knot?" I laughed.

"You said you wanted me to hurry dattebayo." He said accusingly.

I walked over to him and gave him a swift smack to the back of the head. "Didn't I tell you to stop saying that bratty word?"

"I'm sorry I don't meet your standards oh high and mighty Tokyo U student." I sighed, put down my guitar and reached my hands to his neck. He flinched. "Relax, I'm just going to fix your tie."

"I thought we were in a hurry." He muttered as I undid the makeshift knot.

"Like 30 seconds to tie a tie is going to matter at this point." I grumbled as a tightened the knot. I released him and headed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Naruto yelled after me as I walked away from the house. "Shouldn't I be the one leading the way?"

"You better run and catch up then." I yelled back.

"No fair! Just let me lock the door." I heard him run to catch up behind me and when he finally reached me he gave me a surprisingly strong shove. "Don't just leave me behind teme." For a second I thought he was honestly mad but after a moment of silence he spoke. "That is the tree I fell out of when I was six."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah." He laughed. "I broke my arm."

"Did you hit your head too because that would explain a lot."

"Very funny." He scowled there was another awkward silence as we entered into the town. "Hey Sasuke?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about saying that stuff last night."

I wasn't expecting that. "Don't worry about it. You already apologized."

"I guess." He muttered "I just kept thinking about it all night. I always end up saying stupid things when I talk to people. Do you hate me?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"What do you miss most about her?"

I thought about it for a moment. There was a lot I missed about her but it was hard to put it into words. "Just stupid little stuff I guess, like the obentos she made for me every morning, even after I told her I was too old for them, and sound of her voice welcoming me home, I even miss the stupid pop music she listen to in the car." I laughed uncomfortably. I knew I was rambling but I couldn't stop myself. "But the thing I miss the most is the story she used to tell me and the time we spent together every night when I was a kid."

"Is it the same story you dreamed about last night?" my eyes widened in shock as he said that. "I I I'm sorry." He stuttered. " You were talking in your sleep about a story. I didn't mean to overhear."

"Sure you didn't." I muttered as I combed my hair back with my free hand to distract myself. "Are we getting close?"

"Not really, we just passed Ichiraku's they have the best ramen in the whole world!"

"How do you know? Have you been everywhere in the world?"

"I don't have to go everywhere in the world, we have the best ramen right here in Konoha!" There was no point arguing with an idiot like him. "So my dad told me you are looking for someone."

"Your dad talks a lot."

"He sure does. Who are you looking for?"

I sighed and contemplated wither or not I should tell him the truth. "I'm looking the reincarnation of a demon fox."

"Like the one in your dream?"

I was beginning to wonder exactly how much I talked in my sleep. I was beginning to think I gave a bloody speech. "Yeah, like the one in my dream."

"Do you think they're here?" He whispered to me as though the demon could pop out of nowhere.

"I don't know."

"Maybe I can help you, you see, I have weird dreams too."

"Is that right?" I asked as I rolled my eyes and silently prayed we were close to his school so I wouldn't have to here about his, doubtlessly, idiotic dream.

"I'm mean, I guess they're not really weird like your dreams." That comment put me in my place. My dreams were even weird to a weirdo like Naruto. "I keep having the same dream. I'm in the forest and I climb a tree way up to the very top."

Now he had my full attention. "And… what happens next?"

"Nothing. I just stand up there and look out over the forest. Even though I'm up so high all I can see when I look down is the green forest stretching on into infinity! It makes me feel powerful, no, powerful isn't the right word, it make me feel peaceful and calm."

"Is that it?"

"Yeah, pretty much. It feels great to be up that high. I wish I could climb as high as I do in my dreams."

I decided to take a huge risk. "Naruto, in your dreams do you have any tails?"

"Tails?" he asked and I nodded. "I don't think so."

It was stupid of me to ask really. It was idiotic of me to go looking for the nine tails but it was even more idiotic to think I'd actually find it.

"Well, here is my school." He said pointing to a small building.

"What time do you get out?" I asked.

"2: 30"

"Meet here?"

"No!" He replied too quickly. "Lets just meet by the tree."

"Tree?"

"Yeah I one I found you sleeping under. Ja!" he said as he ran into the building before I had a chance to tell him I had no idea where the hell that tree was.

I stood there outside of his school for a few seconds because I was at a loss of what to do while I waited for him to get out of class. I had only known Naruto for 18 hours or so but he had been clinging to me so much that suddenly having him around seemed strange. I walked down the street for a while thinking about how eerily quiet it was in this town.

Finally I settled outside of a storefront and took out my guitar. There was audience to play for so I just fooled around playing some chords until my fingers started to unconsciously play a song. I don't know why it was _that _song _again_ but once I started playing I couldn't stop myself. _The song of the bird. _It was as though my fingers were playing it on purpose to make me remember her, as though I didn't miss her enough. She was the whole reason why I went on a stupid journey to find a stupid fox that probably didn't even exist.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I almost didn't notice a droplet of water hitting my arm. Suddenly the rain started to pick up. I grabbed my case and ran into the store I had been playing in front of. As soon as I passed through the door I heard the skies open up outside. The rain pounded against the ground and I let out a huge sigh of relief.

"So you're the one who was playing outside." I turned to look for the source of the voice. There was a girl standing behind the counter. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes, only they were muted, not bright and clear like Naruto's.

"That was a pretty song you were playing. It took me a second to place it but then I remembered it was quite a popular song a few years back." She stepped out from behind the counter and bowed. "My name is Ino Yamanaka." She looked up at me expectantly.

"Sasuke Uchiha." I replied as I looked around the store. There were flowers of every size and variety.

"Sasuke I have a question for you."

"We're on first name basis already. People in this town sure are friendly."

"Better a friendly tone then a rude one _Mr. Uchiha_." She quipped.

"Touché."

"Have you ever felt regret?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"That song you were playing before" she paused to think, "technically the performance was perfect, every thing was perfectly timed, everything was on key but I couldn't help but feel there was something missing from the performance." She looked at me to see my reaction. "It sounds like you don't really believe in what you're playing."

"That's very presumptuous of you." I snorted. "I think I should go." I turned to the door and started to think of a plan of action.

"I'm sorry it seems I have offended you. That wasn't my intention." I turned back into the shop and glared into her dull blue eyes. "Let me make it up to you. Stay for lunch."

"Hn. I don't needyour charity." I crouched down to put my guitar back in its case.

"Then accept my sympathy."

"What do you mean?" I continued to glare. I wondered if it was possible she knew about me.

"Something must have happened for you to wind up here in Konoha."

"I'm looking for someone." I answered.

"Oh? Are they a local? The village is pretty small if you tell me their name I'll probably be able to help you find them." She smiled as though she knew I had no idea who I was looking for.

"Thanks for the offer but I'm fine looking for them on my own."

"Now I'm curious." She said as she leaned forward onto the counter. "Tell me more about this person you're looking for."

"It's a secret."

"Oh, I see. We all have secrets in this town. Maybe one day you'll be lucky enough to hear mine."

"I don't intend on staying here that long." I replied coldly as I looked around the shop for a place to put down my guitar case.

"Everyone says that when they first arrive here. You can go ahead and put you things down anywhere. I already prepared lunch we're just waiting on someone."

"Someone?" The only other people I knew in this town were Jiraiya and Naruto and I doubted either of them were going to join us.

"It's a local girl I look after. She should be showing up any minute now."

As if on cue the door opened with a jingle. "Todaima!"

"Okaerinasai Sakura-chan"

I was expecting the "local girl" to be young… or at least younger than she was.

"How old are you?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Hasn't anyone told you it's rude to ask a woman her age." Ino laughed

"It's alright." the pink haired girl blushed, "I'm 17."

"I don't think a 17 year old needs looking after." I glared at Ino who stuck her tongue out at me.

"Are you hungry Sakura-chan" she smiled sweetly.

"Starving." She said as she uncovered a buddle in her arms to reveal an orange fox. "Isn't that right Kyuubi?"

My eyes shot wide open. "Kyu.. Kyu.. Kyuubi?"

"Yes. Isn't it a cute name?" She smiled

"Sakura came up with it all by herself." Ino said as she turned to me. "Stop ogling Sasuke it's unbecoming. If I didn't know any better I'd say you have a crush on my sweet little Sakura-chan."

"Stop calling me that I'm too old for that stuff." Her harsh words reminded me of the things I used to say to my mother when I got into middle school.

"I can't help it, you'll always be my sweet little Sakura-chan."

"How old are you?" I asked Ino trying to figure out their relationship.

"That's a secret." She winked

"She's 18." Sakura muttered as she put down the fox and took off her raincoat revealing a head of pink hair. The fox instantly pranced over to me and started to affectionately rub against my leg. "She likes you."

I stood there in shock as Ino brought out a variety of dishes, only half of which looked edible. "Come on freeloader." Ino motioned for me to come join them at the shop counter. "Eat." She demanded so I picked up a pair of chopsticks and poked at food while I listen to their bickering.

After lunch the rain stopped but Ino demanded I help her do chores around the shop then before I knew it I had to go meet Naruto.

Finding the tree wasn't that difficult because Naruto was already sitting under it waiting for me.

"I didn't mean to keep you waiting."

"Don't worry about it. I haven't been waiting for long." He said as he stood up. "Want to climb trees?"

"No."

"Do you want to visit the shine?"

"Not really."

"Do you want to catch bugs?"

"I don't think so." I quickly replied "Why don't I just take you home?"

"Ok." He muttered. He knew the forest better than me so I let him lead the way.

It didn't take me long to figure out we we're going back to his house. For a while I just let him lead the way but the farther we went into the forest the more suspicious I got. "Where are we going?"

"Home."

"This is a rather indirect route don't you think?"

"Not really."

I sighed and followed behind him as we continued pushing our way through the forest. Eventually we came to a dead end. There was a stream with only one way to cross, a wet log bridge. Much to my horror Naruto got up onto the log and started to cross. "Idiot that's dangerous!" I yelled to him but he acted as though he did hear. I couldn't just stand by and watch him act like a dumb ass. Jiraiya looked like the kind of man who could kill me and if Naruto came back injured I was dead. I put down my guitar case and climbed on the log to stop him for accidently hurting himself.

Sure enough as soon as I got up on the log he slipped. I grabbed his arm to keep him from falling off but gravity won. We went crashing down into water below. I was wet, miserable, and out for Naruto's blood. The dobe just sat next to me laughing his head of.

"That was fun, wasn't it Sasuke?" I glared at him and attempted to pick myself up but he pulled me down with his surprising strength. "You're already wet you might as well stay down here and play in the stream with me."

"No thank you." I said as I pulled away from him. As I was about to walk past him I felt water splash my face. I blinked and tried to register what just happened. That idiot splashed me. He fucking splashed me! "Very mature dobe." I tried to walk past him but he splashed me again. "Stop doing that!" He did it again. It was on. I turned to look Naruto in the eye to let him know I meant business and I guess it worked because he looked petrified.

"Sasuke, your eyes. Why are your eyes…" He was interrupted when I kicked up water. "That was a cheap shoot teme!"

"You started it."

"And I intend on finishing it." He smirked.

Needless to say when we got back to his house we were both soaking wet.

"I totally won." He bragged.

"Whatever." I huffed as I tossed him a towel. "Get changed before Jiraiya gets back."

"What if I don't?" he challenged.

"Then I'll give you the wrong answers on your homework." I countered.

"Damn."

"I totally won." I mocked.

We changed and hung up our clothes in the bathroom then Naruto made instant ramen while I did his homework.

I heard the front door open so I shoved the pen in Naruto's hand. "What are you guys up to?" he asked as he looked suspiciously around the room.

"Nothing." Naruto replied.

"Homework." I corrected.

"Pft. Let the kid do that on his own. Come drinking with me." He was so hypocritical.

"I'm only eighteen."

"Pity, I need I good drinking buddy." He sighed and dropped food on the table. "But I supposed I could do better than a runaway."

"I guess you'll be drinking alone."

"I told you to fix that attitude of yours kid."

"Oh look food!" Naruto interrupted "Can we stop fighting and eat?"

"Don't worry Naruto me and Sasuke he are best buddy's." he said taking me in a choke hold "Ain't that right Sasuke?"

"Right." I gritted my teeth and smiled.

"This is amazing." Naruto smiled. "It's like we're a real family."

"Like I'd ever want to be part of this twisted family of weirdos." I muttered.

"What was that?" Unfortunately along with his gorilla body Jiraiya had bat ears. He seemed amused by my panic. "Don't worry kid I won't hurt ya. These guns are to impress the ladies."

I burst out laughing. I couldn't help it. It was all too ridiculous.

We continued to chat about things that probably wouldn't be considered proper diner conversation then Naruto and I retreated to his room. He talked for hours about nothing and I listened to it for about 5 minutes before zoning out and eventually falling asleep.

It was the same fucking dream. The pursuit was tedious but at the end I was rewarded with a bit more of my mother's story.

_He came back the next day, and the day after that. Soon their conversations became a ritual. It started with just small talk; he would talk about his work around the castle or the weather. She just listened but it didn't take long for her to become bold enough to talk about herself. One day while he was talking she lifted the screen to look at him while he talked. He was nervous to speak to her so directly but after awhile it became as natural as talking to her behind the screen. _

_He knew she was a dangerous demon so he tried to be careful about what he told her but as soon as he looked into her blue eyes he couldn't stop himself from telling her everything. Some of what he talked about was serious. He talked a lot about the current civil unrest in the area and his own clan's displeasure with the way the territory was being run but he also talked to her about trivial things like food he had eaten that day and conversations he had. _

"_My mother is beside herself. She thinks if my father doesn't listen to the warlord's commands he'll get killed and that I'll never be able to find a good wife." He laughed "she refuses to speak to him at meals. Yesterday she sprinkled salt over his rice. The look on his face was priceless! If they weren't married I'm sure he would have killed her!"_

"_It sounds like they really love each other." Kyuubi replied._

"_I suppose." _

"_What's it like?"_

"_What's what like?" he asked._

"_What's it like to have a family?"_

"_Didn't you have one?" _

"_I think so, once a long time ago." He clutched her head in pain. "I don't know. It hurts to remember. I keep having dreams about a woman standing the forest. I think she was my mother."_

"_Is she still alive?"_

"_I don't know." she sighed. "It's been so long. I think it's best that I just forget everything about my life before being imprisoned. Remembering hurts."_

"_Is that what this is to you? Imprisonment?" _

"_What is it to you?" she shot back at him bitterly _

"_Protection." He replied. _

"_That's one I've never heard before." She laughed. _

"_It's true. I want nothing more than to protect you. I promise I will protect you."_

_She snickered but when she saw the serious look on his face she blushed. "Uuh, thank you." She muttered before turning away. _

"_Uh, I have work to get to." He said quickly as he stood up to close the screen "I'll be back tomorrow." _

"_See you tomorrow." She replied as she watched his silhouette walk away. _

I woke up before Naruto that day. I walked into the kitchen to see Jiraiya sitting at the table reading a book. I tried to leave before he noticed me but I wasn't successful.

"Hey kid, come back here." I heard him demand just as I left the room. I adhered to his request and walked back into the kitchen. "Find who you're looking for yet?" I rolled my eyes and turned to leave the kitchen. "I hope you haven't given up on Konoha just yet."

I kept thinking about the pink haired girl and her fox. I had to find out more about it. The name was just too much of a coincidence. "No, not yet."

"Good."

"The other day you said you know everyone in Naruto's class. Do you know a girl named Sakura?"

"Sorry kid I don't know her. I was just calling your bluff. To tell the truth I don't spend much time hanging around this town." He laughed and picked up his book again.

Just as I was about to leave the kitchen Naruto came stumbling in dressed in his uniform. "O-ha Naruto-chan." [5] Jiraiya said in a voice so cheerful it sounded insincere. Naruto muttered back his greeting and started to rummage through the cupboards. "Naruto can't function in the morning without a cup of instant ramen."

"Ramen?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Just watch." Jiraiya was right, the instant Naruto started to slurp down noodles he became visibly more awake.

"Why are you dressed so early?" I asked remember the struggle I went through yesterday.

"I have to go in early for extra cleaning duties because I was late yesterday."

"Late huh?" Jiraiya glared at me.

Naruto looked between Jiraiya and me as though trying to think of a way to break the tension. "Why don't we go now Sasuke? I'm just going to go get my stuff." He backed out of the kitchen and ran to his room.

"I should grab my guitar." I muttered.

"Hey!" the old man called to me. I turned back to look at him. "You wanna help me pick up chicks later?"

"Yeah right old man." I scowled only to hear him laugh.

"Lighten up a little kid."

I didn't even acknowledge him. I just left. I picked up my guitar and put it on my back. I was comforted by the weight that had become familiar while traveling. After adjusting it a little I stepped outside and waited for Naruto. A few seconds later he came scrambling out with his hands full junk carrying his tie in his mouth. He muttered something incoherent through his tie. I sighed and walked over to take it out of his mouth. "Aaah Thank You." He said as popped his collar and put the tie around his neck. For a second I considered strangling him but I reconsidered when I saw Jiraiya staring at us from the window of the kitchen.

"Lets go dobe." I muttered as I put down his collar and started walking in the direction of his school. I heard Naruto pick up his pace to catch up with me.

"Stop walking so fast."

"Stop walking so slow." I countered.

"I'm carrying a lot of stuff teme."

"Then don't bring so much stuff next time."

"I have to!"

"Are you a member of a club or something?"

"No." he replied.

"Hn."

"Aren't you going to ask what it's for?"

"No."

"Fine. Then I won't tell you." It took him about 10 seconds to crack. "There is going to be a festival at the shine at the end of the month. Everyone in the town is getting ready for it."

"Hn" I acknowledged.

"Will you go to the festival with me?"

"I don't plan on being in Konoha that long.

"Oh." Naruto said with a disappointed look on his face but then changed the subject. "What did you do for food yesterday?"

" A local shop worker took pity on me. What do you do for lunch?"

"I usually just go down and buy bread from the cafeteria." Naruto shrugged.

"How about I make you an obento tomorrow?" I don't know why I offered. Maybe it was that stupid dream or that stupid song or those stupid blue eyes.

"Yeah ok." Naruto blushed.

"Unlike some people I can cook more then instant ramen."

"I resent that comment." He muttered back.

"Hey Naruto, do you know a girl about your age named Sakura?" he gave me a confused look. "Pink hair, carries around a fox…"

"I don't know her." Naruto answered before I could finish talking

Out conversations were always struggled after all the only thing we had in common is that we both happen to be at the same place at the same time that one day in a forest. Luckily I saw the gate of Naruto's school in the distance. "Is it alright if I leave you here." I asked in order to escape the inevitable awkward silence.

"Yeah ok. Lets meet the same place at the same time."

I nodded and we went out separate ways. Again I felt empty being alone in this town. I wander around the town for a little bit but as soon as it got close to lunch I headed over to the flower to look for Sakura. I needed to find out the truth about the fox.

"Irashaimase."

"So now I get the formalities? I thought you were above all that."

She sighed and rolled her eyes when she realized who had walked through the door. "You're just below it freeloader. I suppose you're here for more food"

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." I bowed to her like a school kid then let out a snicker.

"You're lucky you're so attractive I'm not sure anyone would put up with your personality other wise." She sighed and took out a premade lunch box. "We can start anytime," she said as she handed me a pair of chopsticks "it's just us today."

"Sakura isn't coming?"

"I see." She smiled knowingly "I was right yesterday, you do have a crush on Sakura."

"I don't." I answered with an icy monotone.

"So cold."

"I just want to ask her something."

"Anything you want to ask Sakura you have to ask me first."

"Never mind then." I said simply before turning my attention to the food.

"I bet it's embarrassing." She teased.

"I just wanted to ask her about how she got that fox."

"That thing?" she laughed as though disappointed by the simplicity of the question. "She just came home with it one day. When Sakura first moved here she had trouble making friends. We were a grade apart so I couldn't spend all my time with her so I guess she spent a lot of time in the forest. One day she just came back with this fox and insisted on calling it Kyuubi. I felt bad for her so I helped convince her dad to let her keep it."

"Does Sakura have a mother?"

"Hmph somewhere I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"Sorry Sasuke, that's not my secret to tell." She winked.

"Did she give a reason for the name?"

"No. She just had to name her that for some reason. I never questioned it. People give their pets some strange names."

"I see." I paused and put down my chopsticks. "Thanks for the meal."

I tried to stand up but she caught my sleeve. "Not so fast mooch you have to repay the meal I just gave you."

That's when I knew I was in for it.

After escaping from Ino's claws early in the afternoon I retreated to the forest where I hoped to play my guitar but as soon as I sat under the tree I fell into a deep sleep.

I had the dream again but this time it was different. It started the same way, running through the forest chasing after the person with nine tails but this time, for the briefest moment right before they fell, I felt their fingertips brush against mine. Then it was back to my mother's story.

_The next day the soldier was unexpectedly called to the warlord's office. _

"_I wanted to talk to you personally" The warlord addressed him. "I appreciate all the work you've put into guarding the demon fox." _

"_Thank you sir" he bowed _

"_It's nice to know I have one less thing to worry about. Lately there has been so much going on in my territories, famine, sickness, and to top it all of there have been rumors about civil dispute. I can't afford to have my land torn apart by war. I think it's best we handle these rebellions before they evolve into anything."_

"_I agree sir."_

"_Good. I'd like to put you in charge of the counter rebellion."_

_For a moment he hesitated. He knew he was being promoted but being leading the counter rebellion meant leaving Kyuubi under someone else's protection. "I'm honored sir. Do you mind me asking who will take over my position at the castle?"_

_The powerful man sitting in front of him laughed. "No one will be replacing you. You'll be taking the fox demon with you." _

"_I don't understand." _

"_The demon will be the one to take out the rebels. It's a good plan isn't it? This way I don't have to endanger my men." The older man said with a smug look on face._

"_Don't you think it's unfair to ask her to become a weapon of war?" _

"_You talk about it as though it were human." The warlord's smile turned into a frown. "Rumors about rebellion aren't the only ones that have reached my ears, I've been hearing rumors about you as well. I should warn you the punishment for falling in love with a demon is worse than death. If there is truth to these rumors…"_

"_You have nothing to worry about sir."_

"_Good." The older man sighed "I will be sending some of my men with you just incase the demon gets out of control. I expect you to be able to depart within three days." _

"_Yes sir."_

"_Oh and one more thing, after this rebellion is under control, kill the demon." _

"_What?!"_

"_I can't tell you how many problems that fox has caused me. Keeping it has become more trouble than it's worth."_

_He hated the way the warlord referred to Kyuubi as an "it". "Yes sir." He said through gritted teeth "I'll dispose of it."_

"_Good." The older man gave him a wicked smile. "I expected nothing less from an Uchiha."_

"_Uchiha!" _I heard my younger self squeal excitedly. _"My name is Uchiha!" _

That was the first time my mother had given the mysterious soldier a name.

"_That's right Sasuke. This story is important because it's about your family. A family whose destiny is forever intertwined with the nine tailed demon fox Kyuubi."_

I blinked awake and tilted my head up to try to see the sky through the dense branches but it was impossible.

Suddenly I was getting closed to saving the person in my dream. I didn't know who or what I was looking for but somehow I knew I would find it in Konoha.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard something rustling nearby. "Aw, you're awake." I hear a familiar voice whine as Naruto appeared from a nearby bush. "Now that you're awake do you want to go play in the stream?" he asked.

I stared up into his piercing blue eyes for a second before I rolled my eyes and stood up. Without out so much as a glance back at him I started to walk away. Finally when I didn't hear him follow after me I looked back to see him standing frozen with a look of defeat. "If you don't hurry up we won't have much time to play before the rain starts up."

He looked up and smiled before he ran toward me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me forward. "Hey Sasuke, do you think I'll be able to catch a fish today?"

"I don't think you have the patience."

"I can't help it I just get so excited dattebayo!" I smacked the back of his head. "Heh, sorry." He said rubbing the back of his head. I couldn't help but to smile at his childishness. For a whole afternoon I forgot all about my mother and the demon fox.

That was the beginning of a summer that, to me, was as short as the twinkling of a star but seemed to last for all eternity.

References (because sometimes I'm too pretentious for my own good):

[1] This is directly from AIR TV but Jiraiya also says it at one point in the manga so I had to use it.

[2] Tori no Uta is one of those funny songs that every otaku in Japan knows but most fans in America have never heard of. Last I checked the elevens over at 2ch voted it the second greatest anime song of all time. (number one is pretty consistently the eva op "a cruel angel's thesis") It's a probably what AIR is most know for so I knew I had some how include it somehow. Obviously you don't _need_ to listen to the song to understand the story but if you've never heard it and would like to listen to it, or you have heard it but want to see some beautiful animation paste /watch?v=fMDnTE6_wkg&fmt=22 to the end of the youtube homepage

[3] Uta can also mean poem. Once I had "鳥の詩大好き!! " (tori no uta daisuki or I really like tori no uta for those playing at home) as my status and my brother, being the proud person he is, used an online translator instead of asking me what it meant. It came up with "birds love poetry." Lol.

[4] The last lines from James Joyce's Ulysses. 

A/N Hisashiburi! Has it really almost been a year since I've posted something? I blame it on my DS and 07th expansion for releasing so many higurashi games… but enough about my personal problems thanks for reading etc.

I starting writing this story a few months back after having a conversation about AIR. I love AIR but I wanted to do more then retell the story word for word, rather I wanted to write a story that was different, but used elements from the original and progressed in a similar way. This means the first chapter probably feels agonizingly slow paced but bear with me because it will pick up. This also means you can go ahead and watch, read, play AIR without worrying about having this story spoiled, because I know that is a _huge_ concern. I should really be saying you can read this story without having AIR spoiled for you.

On another note I turned of the profanity filter. I don't know what that means exactly but hopefully it means you can swear in your reviews now. If I'm allowed to swear like a 14-year-old playing halo you should also be able to.

As always please feel free to review and if I'm slacking and haven't updated for a while call me out on it.

-Wensleydale

P.S The Umineko Anime had better not suck or else I will gouge to the head and kill, gouge to the chest and kill, gouge to the stomach and kill…

P.P.S Please don't turn me into the police it's just a reference from the VN.


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